Two Years

Today marks the anniversary of the day we moved in.  Two years ago today, we moved here.  Two years ago, we finished packing our vehicles and trailers and headed off to the bank to sign paperwork.  Two years ago, we arrived at our new home, full of excitement and anticipation.  We spent the afternoon walking around the property, ate our first apples off of our new apple trees, pushed the kids on the new tree swing, and then spent the rest of the day sweeping, washing windows, and setting up beds for the kids.

In the last two years, we became chicken “farmers” and homesteaders.  We became parents to our 5th child, the 4th boy of the family.  We raised our first garden on the new land (not our first garden though).  We butchered our first chickens, learned about protecting our flocks, about electrification (“fencing”), we learned about grafting trees, root stock propagation, fruit tree pruning…  We got the lay of the land and began to understand how the land functions so that we can work with it, not against it.  We became beekeepers, butchered deer, learned more about canning… The list could go on and on and on.

It has been two intense years filled with many stressful days, lots of overwhelming moments.  There have been days I question my sanity, question my decisions in our lives, and wonder why I chose such a difficult life.  Yet for each of those days, each of those moments, there have been many more days or moments of feeling thankful, grateful, peaceful, happy, and deeply satisfied.

Some of you will read our blog and see that it’s a great life choice, that it’s exciting and rewarding, and completely worthwhile.  Others read it and think we are nuts.  Maybe you know us personally and hear about all of the hard, stressful days and you think we must have lost our minds.  But for every bad day, there is at least one good day… even if it happens to be a stretch of bad days (say a month), inevitably we have stretches of good days.  When my days are long and weary, Scott comes home with the needed strength to lift me up.  When he is too overwhelmed and frustrated, I always have the energy to keep our family moving.  I don’t know how we’d stay sane without each other.  And it never ceases to amaze me that just when I feel the most frustrated with the kids, I will be relieved by them stepping up to the plate to be there for me, give me an extra hug or smile.

Today I’m feeling thankful and remembering how blessed I am.  What are you thankful for?

Love~Danielle